Kanton of Solothurn

What Kanton of Solothurn does

Kanton of Solothurn is a constituent canton of the Swiss Confederation, established in its modern form in 1803 via the Act of Mediation and historically constituted since 1481. Operating as a constitutionally mandated public government entity headquartered in Solothurn, Switzerland, the canton delivers political rights, legal, administrative, judicial, educational, agricultural, and public safety services to approximately 280,000 residents, local businesses, and municipalities across five districts through ten internal departments plus a majority-owned hospital group, Solothurner Spitäler AG (soH).

The canton's core service delivery infrastructure consists of a multi-platform digital government ecosystem: the so.ch public information portal, the my.so.ch transactional online customer center supporting passport applications, vehicle registration, tax filings, and animal husbandry registrations, the SO!Digital transformation platform managed by the Kompetenzzentrum Digitale Verwaltung (CCDV), the GeoPortal geographic information system, and a parliamentary document management system. Specialized digital services are complemented by physical offices across Solothurn, Olten, and Riedholz, including the Bildungszentrum Wallierhof agricultural education and training center. Centralized IT operations are managed by the Amt für Informatik und Organisation (AIO). The so.ch redesign received the Bronze Award in the User Experience category at Best of Swiss Web 2024, and the Office for Agriculture holds ISO 9001:2015 certification.

Revenue is derived primarily from cantonal taxation (income, corporate, and property taxes), federal transfer payments from the Swiss Confederation, and modest transactional fees for specific services such as apostilles (CHF 30) and certifications (CHF 20). The go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer via the so.ch portal, physical offices, and the my.so.ch self-service channel, with horizontal segmentation across private individuals (Privatpersonen), businesses (Unternehmen), and municipalities (Gemeinden). Service distribution relies on a mix of self-service digital access, in-person office visits, and field-based advisory services through the Bildungszentrum Wallierhof and BIZ career guidance offices.

Name

Kanton of Solothurn

Legal name

Kanton Solothurn

Website

https://so.ch

Company type

Public

Founded year

1803

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Kanton of Solothurn is a Swiss cantonal government entity delivering administrative, legal, judicial, educational, agricultural, and public safety services to approximately 280,000 residents, businesses, and municipalities through ten internal departments, the so.ch digital portal, and a majority-owned hospital group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Administration

NAICS

Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921), Other General Government Support (921190), Legislative Bodies (92112)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Digital Service & eGovernment (Service Delivery, IDs, Portals) (BPAIAAAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

School District Central Administration (Superintendent & Cabinet Offices) (EDADABAF)

Keywords

• Cantonal government services
• Public administration
• Civil services
• Tax administration
• Agricultural extension

Headquarters

HQ city

Solothurn

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Cantonal Taxation: Primary revenue source through cantonal taxes including income tax, corporate tax, and property taxes levied on residents and businesses within the canton.
2. Government Service Fees: Fees for specific government services such as apostilles (CHF 30), certifications (CHF 20), and other administrative services.
3. Federal Transfer Payments: Intergovernmental fiscal transfers from the Swiss federal government to support cantonal government operations and public services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kanton of Solothurn is a Swiss cantonal government entity providing essential public administration services to residents, businesses, and municipalities. Core offerings include political rights administration, legal and judicial services, taxation, media and communications, agricultural support, spatial planning, education, vocational guidance, and digital government services delivered through the so.ch portal and my.so.ch online customer center.

Product overview

The Canton of Solothurn operates a multi-platform digital government ecosystem comprising the main cantonal portal (so.ch), an online customer center (my.so.ch) offering virtual administrative services, a digital transformation platform (SO!Digital), and specialized educational services through the Bildungszentrum Wallierhof agricultural training center. The product architecture consists of a unified portal with integrated department-specific subsites, a transactional online service portal, geographic information systems, and a parliamentary document management system. Services are structured around citizen-facing portals for applying for passports, deadline extensions, vehicle registration, and animal registration, combined with internal administrative systems for parliament, courts, and cantonal departments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• so.ch Cantonal Government Portal The official cantonal government portal providing public services for citizens, businesses, and municipalities, with information about cantonal administration, departments, parliament, courts, careers, and citizen services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Bronze award at Best of Swiss Web 2024 in User Experience category for so.ch website redesign

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Verein für üsi WiticoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe association supports conservation and protection of the Witi protected zone in Grenchen, collaborating with the canton's Office for Spatial Planning on nature conservation initiatives, biodiversity promotion, and sustainable landscape management.
• Natur- und Tierpark GoldauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for the reintroduction project of the European tree frog (Laubfrosch) in the Grenchner Witi area. The park provides expertise and potentially specimens for the reintroduction program that began in 2014.
• AgrideacoreTechnology or IntegrationAgridea supports the cantonal herd protection program by conducting the 'Einsatzüberprüfung für anerkannte Herdenschutzhunde' (EBÜ) - competency testing for recognized livestock protection dogs. They also provide technical guidance on wolf protection fencing.
• Swiss Federal Office for the Environment (BAFU)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal partner providing 80% funding for livestock damage compensation (Futtergeld) and herd protection measures including wolf protection fencing subsidies. Coordinates national policies on wildlife management including wolf monitoring.
• AgroscopeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFederal agricultural research institute providing expertise on crop protection, weed science (including Erdmandelgras management), and agricultural best practices that inform cantonal agricultural extension services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Canton of Bern: Second-largest Swiss canton with similar institutional structure and broad service portfolio including education, agriculture, healthcare, and spatial planning. Comparable in scale, governance structure, and the breadth of administrative functions delivered.
• Canton of Basel-Landschaft: Neighboring canton with comparable population (~290,000) and similar economic structure. Operates the same Swiss cantonal governance model with parallel departmental organization and digital service portal strategy.
• Canton of St. Gallen: Comparable mid-sized Swiss canton serving ~510,000 residents across diverse municipalities. Operates similar departmental structure with emphasis on education, agriculture, and digital service delivery.
• Canton of Zug: Compact, economically strong Swiss canton known for efficient digital government services. Comparable in governance structure and a benchmark for digital service modernization among mid-sized Swiss cantons.
• Canton of Thurgau: Smaller neighboring canton with agricultural economic profile similar to parts of Canton of Solothurn. Operates parallel cantonal government structure and competes for similar federal funding streams.
• Canton of Luzern: Mid-sized Swiss canton with similar service portfolio, parliamentary structure, and mixed urban-rural demographic profile. Directly comparable in fiscal scale and the range of public services delivered.
• Canton of Aargau: Neighboring northwestern Swiss canton of comparable population size (~700,000), with similar departmental structure and agricultural/industrial economic profile. Direct geographic and demographic peer to Canton of Solothurn.
• Canton of Zurich: Largest Swiss canton, operating the same cantonal government structure with elected Regierungsrat and Kantonsrat, providing comprehensive public services to residents and municipalities. Directly comparable in governance model, departmental structure, and digital service delivery expectations.

Regional players

• City of Zurich: Largest Swiss municipality operating comparable eGovernment services (digital portals, online customer centers, departmental structure) but at municipal rather than cantonal level. Comparable in digital service delivery model and citizen-facing platform strategy.

Broad incumbents

• Swiss Confederation (Federal Government): The federal government establishes the constitutional framework within which Canton of Solothurn operates, including fiscal equalization, agricultural subsidies, and herd protection funding. Comparable as a broader government administration managing public services at national scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/KantonSolothurn
• Facebookfacebook.com/kantonsolothurn
• LinkedInch.linkedin.com/company/kanton-solothurn
• Instagraminstagram.com/kantonsolothurn

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries13 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kanton of Solothurn